Forever Without End
by ginchy-amanda
Summary: Snippets from Luke and Mara's lives, centering on their wedding bands, and their endless connection.


Forever Without End

...

"This is worse than trying on wedding gowns," Mara griped, placing the gaudy gemmed ring back onto the counter in front of the salesdroid.

Luke Skywalker frowned at the platinite ring he wore on his hand, catching the light and shining from his finger. "I don't know…" he said.

"I do," Mara said, snatching the ring from his finger and plunking it down next to the one she had recently discarded. "No." The droid moved to another case to find a new selection of rings.

A hint of a smile turned the corner of Luke's lips. "Well, I suppose we don't have to wear rings…" he began, sitting on one of the tall stools lining the counter.

"Uh-uh, Farmboy. There is no way I'm letting you out without a ring on your finger. Too many over-eager fangirls are out there just waiting to get their hands on you…"

"So you'll brand me with a ring? I thought a wedding ring was a symbol of love and commitment. Not ownership or jealousy." Luke's eyes twinkled.

Mara sidled close. "Darling, if I wanted to brand you, I'd simply carve "Property of Mara Jade" on your forehead."

Luke raised a teasing hand to his face. "You mean you haven't already?"

The salesdroid returned. "Here is a selection of electrum rings. As you may know, electrum is by far the most precious metal mined in the galaxy today. Durable, scratch-proof, and with just a hint of a gleam, these types of rings are perfect for those with 'on the go' lifestyles."

"That would describe us," Luke said, pointing out a set. "What do you think of these?"

The droid lifted the rings out, and handed them to Luke. Taking the smaller one, he lifted Mara's hand and slid it on her finger. The ring shone on her hand, but didn't overwhelm with its sparkle. Holding her hand out, she inspected it. Luke placed the larger ring onto his own finger and held his hand out next to hers.

"Looks strange," she whispered, looking up into his eyes.

"I know. This is something we'll wear for the rest of our lives. It's not an easy decision."

Mara pulled off her band and held the ring up in between her thumb and forefinger. An endless circle. Unbroken and eternal. Ever and always. "I think I like this set," she said, taking his still ringed hand into hers.

The metal of his ring was cool against her palm, but quickly warmed between them. "We'll take them," Luke told the droid. He slipped his hand from Mara's and handed his ring over, watching as Mara did the same. The droid moved off to ring up their purchase. "That was the last of it," he said, getting up from his stool and gathering Mara close to him, uncaring of the looks from other patrons in the shop.

"Yes," Mara agreed. "Nothing left now but to get married."

"I can't wait," Luke whispered into her ear.

...

"Skywalker, what are you doing?" Mara asked, hiding a grin as Luke jumped at the sound of her voice and hit his head on the underside of their bed.

He looked up guiltily. "Oh, um, I dropped… this," he said, pulling a pair of her panties out from under the bed and frowning at them.

"What were you doing with my underwear?" she asked, wondering, too, how they had evaded notice under the bed.

"Um… I was cleaning… Yeah, I was cleaning and I was taking these to the hamper, and I dropped them." He nodded, clearly beginning to believe himself as he spouted the lie.

"Okay," Mara said, now hiding a growing smirk. She put on a bright, cheerful voice. "I'll help you clean."

"Oh, oh-no, that's okay, love. I've got it handled. Why don't you go out and look in on the intermediate saber classes? They've been hoping you would teach them a few lessons this week." Luke stood from the side of the bed and tossed her underwear into the clothes hamper, before crossing and kissing her on the cheek.

"No, I'd really rather stay with you," she said, wrapping her arms around his neck and pulling him in for a kiss. "I just got back yesterday, are you trying to send me away already?" she teased in between kisses.

"Of course not! I just thought you wouldn't want to be stuck in here," he gestured around their small quarters. "And, besides, what kind of husband would I be if I made you clean up my mess?"

Mara looked around the spartan room. "I really don't see much of a mess, love. But still, even cleaning-I'd rather be with you."

"O-Okay," he said, pulling away from her. "Well, I was just going to work on organizing a bit… So… Why don't you work on our desk and I'll work over here," he said, walking towards the closet.

"Right," Mara said, biting her lip as she watched Luke furtively begin to rummage in the closet. Sitting in the desk chair, she propped her legs up and slipped the object she knew Luke was frantically searching for from her trouser pocket, and began tossing it from hand to hand.

"You know," she called to him. "Funny thing happened today."

"Yeah?" Luke's muffled voice called from the closet. Mara imagined him rifling through his robe pockets.

"Yeah," Mara echoed. "I got up this morning and took a shower. When I got out, I stepped onto the bath rug and felt something underneath my foot. I thought it was a hiribug at first."

"Huh," Luke said, distractedly from the closet. "What was it, then?"

Mara didn't answer, merely kept tossing the ring back and forth.

"Mara? What was under the rug?" Luke called again, reaching for her presence to make sure she was still in the room. "Mara?" he growled, sticking his head out of the closet. "What was… Oh," he said, looking at his 'lost' ring in his wife's hand.

She raised a brow.

"Um, thanks for finding it, love," he said, walking towards her to take it back.

"Uh-uh," she said, clutching the ring into her fist.

Luke's forehead scrunched. "What?"

"I'm deeply hurt that you lost the outward manifestation of our love." Mara gave a dramatic sniff.

Luke snorted. "Can I just have my ring, please?" He held out his hand.

"Beg some more," she said playfully.

"Mara…" Leaning forward, he tried to grab the ring from her hand.

"No, Farmboy. If you want this ring," she purred, "you're going to have to get it from me some other way."

"Oh… And just what can I do to get it back?"

Mara grinned predatorily. "I'm sure you'll think of some way to persuade me."

...

Entering their bedroom, Luke frowned to see Mara sitting on their bed, a tear running down her flushed cheek.

"What's wrong, my love?" he asked, gathering Mara close.

"Nothing, nothing," she managed, wiping away the tear.

"Are you sure? Is it the baby?" he asked, reaching out and caressing her rounded abdomen.

"No, no. He's fine. I'm fine. It's not the disease, either," she said, anticipating his next question.

He cuddled her close. "Are you worrying? The war-"

"It's my ring," Mara interrupted.

"What?" Luke asked, all thoughts of the Vong, mysterious diseases and pregnancy scares leaving his mind. "Your ring?"

Mara opened the fist she had made with her left hand and showed him the ring laying on her palm. It looked fine to him, as unblemished as it had been the day it had been bought. "Is there something wrong with it?"

Her eyes flashed back to his. "It doesn't fit," she whispered pitifully, leaning into his body. "My hands are too swollen." She placed the ring as far as it would go on her finger and held out her hands to display the angry red marks cut into her finger from the ring.

Luke hummed in sympathy and took her hand softly into his, raising it to his lips to place a kiss on the marred finger. Through the Force, he sent a few healing waves, watching as the red marks gradually faded to pink. "Better?" he whispered.

She smiled in thanks. "Much." Turning, she kissed him lightly on the lips.

"Now," Luke said, standing and walking to their dresser. "I guess the only problem is what to do with the ring, until you can wear it again."

"I was thinking-"

Luke pulled something from a box in the dresser. "Here we are," he said, cutting her off. Striding over, he took her ring and placed it on the golden strand necklace he'd bought her for their second anniversary. Ceremoniously, he lifted her hair and clasped the necklace behind her neck, nestling it in with the wooden beaded necklace he'd made and she had taken to wearing. "There now. How's that?"

Mara looked down at her ring and smiled. "I was just about to do that before you came in," she said.

Luke frowned. "Then why were you, uh, crying?"

"Because it hurt to get the damn thing off!" she confessed, cheeks pink.

...

Mara lay with her head pillowed on his chest, sliding a lazy finger in intricate patterns over his stomach. "Happy anniversary, my love," she whispered.

"Fifteen years," he murmured, running a warm hand up her back.

She kissed his chest, and sighed contentedly, her toes curling against his leg. "I have to say, when you brought it up, I wasn't sure about a recommitment ceremony, but I really enjoyed it today."

"I'm glad," Luke said. "I don't think I will ever tire of proclaiming my love for you to the galaxy."

"Sweet Farmboy." Nestling closer, she splayed her fingers out over his chest. "Ben was very serious with his job." She grinned up at him.

"He wouldn't take no for an answer, would he? He made the perfect ring bearer and best man." Luke grinned back, thinking of their son's pride in handing his mother's ring to his father at just the right time. He never fumbled or faltered, grinning through the entire ceremony.

"It was nice of Han and Leia to take him for the evening," Luke mused, running a finger around the ring that had gleamed on his wife's hand for over a decade.

"Oh, yes," Mara sighed. "Very nice…"

Gently rolling, Luke moved until he was on top of her, setting into the cradle of her hips. He cupped her cheek in his hand, and she nuzzled into his palm, the cool metal of his ring a spark of awareness against her skin. "I love you," he said quietly, brushing his lips against hers.

"Love you," she whispered back. "Ever and always…"

...

"Hi, son," Luke said, stepping into the room where Ben was waiting nervously. "How are you feeling?"

"Like I need an antacid," Ben answered, running a hand through his hair.

Luke grinned. "That'll go away once you get out there, once you see her walking down the aisle. Even I was nervous on my wedding day, until I saw your mother."

Ben didn't look convinced. "Didn't some terrorist disrupt your wedding? I think that would make you even more nervous…"

"Yes, well… Let's hope that doesn't happen today."

"It'd better not," Ben growled. "It's taken us long enough just to get here."

"I know that feeling well." Luke smiled at his son. "Speaking of…" He took in the image of his son, slightly taller than he, red hair shining with golden highlights just as his mother's had. "Your mother would have been so proud today. So full of joy, carefully hidden under that tough exterior, of course."

"Of course," Ben chuckled. "I've been thinking of her a lot today, Dad."

"As have I," Luke said solemnly. "And… I have something for you."

"Dad, you didn't have to get us anything. You've already given us so much-"

Luke shook his head, and gestured to the couch under the window. "It's nothing like that. It's something far more important."

Ben sat next to his father, watching as he pulled something from his inner jacket pocket. His eyes widened as his mother's wedding ring glimmered from Luke's hand. "Dad-?"

Smiling shakily, Luke held out the precious ring. "I think she would want you to have this today, son."

Taking the ring into his hand, Ben looked down at it, tears watering in his own eyes. Mom. Full of life, and love. "But… We already have rings," Ben said regretfully.

"I know, and I don't mean to say that you should use your mother's ring. I was thinking more of you having something of hers today… Something with you to remind you of her." Luke's eyes flashed with the pain that was always present when remembering his wife. Alone, he was less than whole.

Looking at his father, Ben thought of his own bride, and how he might one day feel… He shuttered that thought quickly. Slowly, he slipped the band onto his little finger, smiling at the warm pulse he felt through the Force as it slid into place. "Thanks, Dad," he whispered, leaning forward to hug his father.

"It's yours now," Luke said, pulling back and blinking rapidly, tears bright still in his eyes.

"What would Mom think of the two of us, bawling like babies?" Ben flashed Mara's smile, before wiping at his own wet eyes.

"She would just shake her head and say that you'd gotten your over-emotionalism from me."

"And my dashing good looks from her?" Ben stood and pulled his father up from the couch.

Luke shook his head, smiling. "Something like that. Let's get you married, huh?"

"Yes," Ben said, rubbing the back of his mother's band with his thumb. "Let's."

...

"As you can see, Master Skywalker, every precaution has been taken with this exhibit. Thank you so much for allowing us the use of such precious material." The curator smiled at a few passing patrons of the museum. "Do you have any questions, sir?"

"Oh, no, thank you," Ben said. "I think I'm just going to walk around for a bit. Some of these things I haven't seen in years, either."

"Take your time," the curator said, walking away.

Slowly, Ben walked the length of the room, looking in several cases at mementos of his parents lives together. His mother's wedding dress that had been found in storage, their lightsabers, a sampling of his mother's weapons collection, his father's tools and the handcrafted necklace of beads he had made for her many years before.

Ben walked until he came to a small display case that held only two items, delicately perched on a bed of blue nanosilk. Their polished wedding bands glittered under the light of the case, Mara's band partially covering Luke's, the endless circles combined on top of one another. Ben closed his eyes against a rush of emotion, and instead focused on the holoplayer that played a constant stream of his parents' wedding, sixty-odd years before.

Footsteps on the marbled floors alerted to him to new people entering the room, and Ben looked up to find a young couple holding hands and looking in at each display, quietly pointing out items of interest. Not for the first time, Ben wondered what his parents, especially his mother, would have thought of strangers looking at their personal possessions. Looking back down at the rings, he gave a small smile. "I just realized that you didn't belong only to me," he whispered, looking back at the wedding holo and the smiling faces of his parents. "Your love should be an inspiration to us all."

Recognizing a warm presence behind him, he turned and smiled at his approaching wife. "Come look," he said, reaching a hand towards her.

She handed him a museum brochure and he smiled at the title before taking her hand and leading her off.

_Forever Without End: The Life of Luke and Mara Skywalker_

...

This beautiful title came from "Union". I own nothing of Star Wars, except my love for it. Hope you all enjoy!


End file.
